


Love Is In The Details

by Ima1



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Domesticity, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 16:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11924970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ima1/pseuds/Ima1
Summary: "It was the little things, Emma realized, that showed her how much she was loved. Regina might not say the words often - in fact, she rarely did, but she showed it in other ways, as Emma came to notice."Basically just Emma noticing the little things Regina does for her that show her that love isn't always expressed in the most obvious ways, i.e., love declarations. Mostly just fluff really.





	Love Is In The Details

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently I'm a big sap and a total sucker for some fluff so...there you go, this came out.  
> Also, I'm just pretending Hook doesn't exist and most of season six didn't happen.  
> All comments are welcome! :D

It was the little things, Emma realized, that showed her how much she was loved. Regina might not say the words often - in fact, she rarely did, but she showed it in other ways, as Emma came to notice.

For someone so deprived of love for most of her life, she had felt insecure at first when that love wasn't validated with words as often as she had needed them to be. She had had doubts about whether she was really wanted, really loved. Whether she really belonged.

She felt insecure and she lashed out, picked up fights when she felt unloved, ran away from the fights before she could be asked to leave. She sulked and brooded and she didn't understand why she couldn't find someone to love her.

But then, when she still hadn't been kicked out after expecting it half a dozen times, she started paying attention and remembering all their fights and their aftermath as well as their daily life. And that's when she really noticed.

Regina might not say "I love you" very often, yet she had been blushing like a school girl when she asked Emma out on a date (even if said asking had been more of a demand), and when Emma, surprised yet completely over the moon, had said yes, Regina had a look of relief mixed with disbelief and joyful hoped in her eyes. And she then blushed even harder.

She didn't say "I love you", but she gave Emma the most perfect date ever, and, when it ended, she shyly asked if she'd like to spend the night. She didn't say the words, yet she worshiped Emma's body like she was the most precious thing in a way Emma had never experienced before, and they'd fallen asleep cuddled in each others' arms.

She didn't say it, but she woke up early to make Emma her favorite breakfast every time she slept over and continued to do so until after Emma moved in.

She hadn't said it then either, but she'd said she couldn't imagine a life where Emma wasn't sharing it with her as she invited her to move in.

She didn't say it, but she made sure Emma never spent another birthday alone and that she had the most special day filled with all the people who cared for her.

She definitely didn't say it when they fought, but, even after their worst fights, when Emma would stalk out the door without even caring for what she was wearing or what the weather was, she'd suddenly find herself warmly wrapped up in one of her coats or her favorite red leather jacket as they appeared in a swirl of purple smoke around her.

She didn't say it when they made up, when Emma would come walking sheepishly back, yet the door was not magically locked, her pillow was not in the sofa and she was welcomed back to their bed without a word. Instead, Emma would lay nervously on the bed and apologize quietly while Regina remained silent, but she'd reach for Emma's hand and wrap it around her body, pulling her so Emma would hug her from behind (as if making sure she'd never leave her) and they'd fall asleep cuddled together.

Regina didn't say it either when it was her fault or when she was in the wrong after a fight, but she would let her walls down and apologize and she'd always make Emma's favorite foods for the rest of the week (even dessert without saying it would clog her arteries).

She didn't say it, but she'd always pack Emma her lunch when she had to work at the station, or dinner if she was working nights, and she always magicked it so it would stay warm and fresh.

She didn't say it, but she nearly lost it when Emma broke her arm and bumped her head chasing after a dog (go figure) and she stormed into the hospital threatening everyone who crossed her path with a fireball if they didn't let her see Emma immediately.

She didn't say it either, but she was nearly in tears as she waved her shaking hand over Emma's injuries wanting to heal her, and she had to try to focus over and over until she finally got her emotions under control to be able to heal her girlfriend.

She also didn't say it, (nor did she ever mention it) but Emma felt the protection spell as soon as it was up and she never had any other accidents or falls after that.

She didn't say it either, but she took care of Emma whenever she was sick, going so far as to take time off of work to look after her when she was at her worst and to drop by every hour when Emma was feeling better, and, after, Emma would find her until late in the study with shadows under her eyes as she reviewed yet another bureaucratic paper because she hadn't gotten around to it during the day.

She didn't say it, but she always referred to the three of them as a family, she always included Emma in Henry's parenting and they always made their decisions as a team.

She didn't say it, but there was the same look in her eyes that she gave Henry whenever Emma would so something silly or clumsy, and she'd scold her with an eye roll and a fond smile on her face, her "she's _my_ idiot" smile.

Regina didn't say it, but one night she finally opened up and told Emma her whole story, the one the book left the details out of, the story that made her who she was, and Emma knew she was the first person to hear it in such detail. She held her afterward while Regina cried in her arms and she whispered sweet reassurances in her ear until she thought she'd fallen asleep. Then she heard it, for the first time, those three words coming out of Regina's mouth, a mere whisper in the night, as if she were afraid her feelings wouldn't be reciprocated.

She didn't say it much after that night either, but she was much more open with her caresses, even in front of others. The first time Emma felt Regina's hand reach tentatively for hers in the middle of Main Street she felt as giddy as a teenage girl with her crush. And she made sure to hold onto it hard.

She didn't say it, but she said "Stay safe" every time Emma went to work and then sent her off with a kiss. She messaged Emma to check in on her throughout the day. She asked Emma to send her a message letting her know she was safe after her nightly patrols, even if she would be already sleeping.

She didn't say it, but she'd drop by randomly at the station just for a kiss, or with a pastry (even while she complained it was bad for her health), or just to say hello and check in on Emma.

She said it, though, when she took Emma to the hill with the view over Storybrooke and the sea, picnic basket in hand and with a wave of her hand created the perfect scenario with dozens of candles, a blanket and a bunch of extremely comfortable looking pillows. She said it when she pulled out a small square box out of her pocket and, though she chocked up a bit and tried (unsuccessfully) to cover it up, she said she'd never felt that way about anyone and she would very much like to marry Emma.

She said it, too, when they exchanged vows in front of their closest friends and family, quiet as it was, but it was said with such fervor that Emma barely managed to remember her own vows as tears of joy fell down her cheeks along with a face-splitting smile.

And she said it again, cuddled up in bed together with her hand caressing Emma's stomach. It was still flat, but just knowing that their child was growing inside had filled both their hearts to the brim with love. And she said it to the baby as well while she kissed Emma's stomach tenderly.

So yes, Regina might not say the words very often, but she showed Emma every day how much she loved her and how much she was wanted in their little family. She taught her how to look for love in the details, in the "I miss you" messages and "be safe" and homemade food that was literally cooked with love and all the other little things.

Regina might not say "I love you" that often, but Emma knows it and she feels it every day, and she has learned that, sometimes, actions speak louder than words.


End file.
